The ideal of an harmonious human race necessitates external threats, but the fantasy of the show is pernicious by making the threatening aliens so frequently absent. This works as a variation of Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism in that discourse about the other (aliens) is controlled by European (Federation) writers, so that the subjects of inquiry are given no voice in creating a knowledge base about them. The result is a total demonization of the other that justifies continued cultural and political domination via colonization.

This confusion of archaeology as science is troubling. For a series that’s praised for its exploration of what it means to be human, it is shockingly ignorant about a field of study that is all about understanding human cultures.

To my surprise, Kirk is not the womanizer I was led to believe. In fact, the women throw themselves at him, but he’s married to his ship, and he’s too responsible in his duties to be distracted by feminine wiles. That’s really just an aside because the blind spots about gender are unforgiveable. For a show that’s praised for its forward thinking, it dwells far too long and too often on essentializing male and female differences.

Passionate about deep thinking and novel expression, Aaron is a doctor of letters with diverse interests and academic training. He has developed a finely-tuned sense of how written communication must be painstakingly molded for emotional impact and pristine clarity. From Sales-oriented to artistically minded, writing must be beautiful and precise.